Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Tempeh Gyro with Vegan Tzatziki

A few days ago kitsune_stars commented that she had used my tempeh burger recipe to make gyros. I thought that sounded like a fantastic idea. Of course, I have never had a gyro in my life so I have nothing to compare these to, but in my humble opinion they turned out really well. I did some online research and came up with this recipe. But, what to do about the tzatziki sauce? I did not have any soy yogurt, and I'm not sure that would have made this any better. I was very pleased with the result and managed to wolf down two gyro before dinner was over.

Tempeh Gyro

INGREDIENTS

- 1 8.5 oz block of tempeh

- 1 onion

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tbsp marjoram

- 1 tsp ground rosemary

- 1/2 tsp basil

- 1/2 tsp thyme

- 1/2 tsp sage

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tbsp mushroom soy sauce

- freshly ground pepper

- 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

- oil

METHOD

1. Grate tempeh and onion into a large bowl. Add in spices (including parsley) and soy sauce and mix well with a fork. Add flour and mix with fork, then knead with your hands for a minute or so until it all comes together. Add in a little water, if needed.

2. Heat a small layer of oil in a sauce pan over medium-lo heat. Break off golf ball-sized pieces of the dough mixture. Flatten with the palm of your hand on the countertop to mimic a slice of meat. Fry 2 mins per side.

3. Serve with chopped tomato, sliced red onion, and tzatziki rolled up in a warmed pita

Vegan Tzatziki Sauce

- 1 pkg silken tofu

- juice from 1 lemon

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 2-3 tsp dried dill

- 1/4 tsp paprika

- pinch of cayenne

- 1 cup finely chopped cucumber

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Blend tofu, lemon juice, garlic, oil and spices together in a blender, or with an immersion blender in a container.

2. Place diced cucumber in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Add to sauce along with the parsley. Refrigerate until needed.